Or, the art of British country house interiors

April 26, 2013

Wrotham Park: Part One

Wrotham Park is a stately Palladian country house in Hertfordshire, built in the mid-18th century for Admiral John Byng; although it was badly damaged by a devastating fire in 1883, the house was rebuilt and the still impressive interiors have been used for many period films, most notably Gosford Park [1]. Daniel DerondaJeeves and Wooster: Series One, Episode Four (The Hunger Strike)Sense and Sensibility, and  Poirot: Series One, Episode Three (The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly) all utilized various rooms of Wrotham Park for their sets as well.

Wrotham Park

The 1883 fire at Wrotham Park broke out in the top room of the house, and the fire brigade pumps did not have enough power to reach higher than the portico [2]. The house was gutted, but the fire spread slowly enough that all important contents, including the painting collection, were saved; Wrotham Park was rebuilt in the same style, but using more solid, structurally sound Victorian techniques [2]. Through the frequent use of the house in period films, the viewer can gain access to many rooms of the house including the saloon, library, entrance hall, hallways, sitting room, and dining room.

Saloon:
The saloon at Wrotham Park displays a striking group portrait which takes up almost the entirety of one of the walls. Offset by deep red wallpaper, this work demands attention and is certainly the focal point of the room. The lustrous silk of the women's dresses and the traditional posing make this group portrait reminiscent of work by Lely in the 17th century.

 Daniel Deronda 

Daniel Deronda

Gosford Park

Library:
One small royal portrait is visible in the library of Wrotham Park. This placement is quite important, as the library was a crucial part of the male sphere during Victorian times, as a place for political discussions or solitary contemplation. In fact, the library was oftentimes the largest and most comfortable room in a Victorian country house [3]. The decoration of libraries tended to be more subtle and serious; this is the case with the Wrotham Park library. The modest royal portrait speaks to political affiliations, perhaps, without overwhelming the entire room.

Gosford Park


Entrance Hall:
As the first point of contact for guest to Wrotham House, the portraits displayed in the entrance hall are crucially important in the public face of the country house. The Regency period placed more of an emphasis on entertaining and house parties, and the 18th century saw a noted increase in the visits of tourists to country houses, purely out of curiosity or interest [4]. The most illustrious or easily recognizable portraits would then be placed in entrance halls, such as the one at Wrotham Park, which features several lovely 18th century works and a particularly impressive wall-length portrait.

Gosford Park

Gosford Park


Hallways:
The display of portraits in the hallways of country houses always seems very intimate and significant in telling the story of the house and its family. Not simply reserved for long galleries or dining rooms, portraits appear on seemingly every wall and hallway in many country houses. The portraits in the hallways are smaller and seen in passing, but that does not lessen their value; if anything, it is these quiet moments, free of ostentation and fuss, which tell the most about a country house.

Jeeves and Wooster: Series One, Episode Four (The Hunger Strike)

Jeeves and Wooster: Series One, Episode Four (The Hunger Strike)

Jeeves and Wooster: Series One, Episode Four (The Hunger Strike)

Gosford Park

Gosford Park

Sitting Room:
As the Regency period was an era of assemblies and extended house parties, main dining rooms became very public areas [5]. Smaller sitting rooms, such as this one at Wrotham Park, exhibit a more private space for family dining or visiting. With a much smaller table, pleasing blue walls, and natural light from the three bay windows, this room is clearly dedicated to domestic comforts. The paintings on the walls, likely family portraits, can then be understood in a slightly different lens than the ones in the main dining room; while smaller and less ornate, these portraits still hold great value to the family.

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility


Dining Room:
The Dining Room at Wrotham Park contains six family portraits by Sir Francis Grant, including Field Marshal the 1st Earl of Strafford above the fireplace flanked by portraits of his grandsons [3]. The portraits in the dining room serve a very public function; as a location of much entertaining of guests and fancy dinner parties, owners as well as visitors would view and enjoy these works [6]. These grand family portraits are definite statements of wealth and connections. It is easy to understand then why so many films have used this room as part of their backdrop; the ornateness of the walls and impressive portraits with important familial connections to the owners of Wrotham Park provide a visual wealth and ancestry that carries over to the fictional country house owners.

Jeeves and Wooster: Series One, Episode Four (The Hunger Strike)

 Gosford Park

Poirot: Series One, Episode Three (The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly)

Gosford Park

Gosford Park

Poirot: Series One, Episode Three (The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly)


Jeeves and Wooster: Series One, Episode Four (The Hunger Strike)


Unfortunately, Wrotham Park is not open to the public; however, the vast amount of period pieces that have used the house's impressive rooms almost makes up for that fact. Through these films, viewers can experience the rich history and multitude of portraits which give Wrotham Park such an allure without ever having to leave their house. A discussion of Wrotham Park continues in Wrotham Park: Part Two.

Bibliography:

[1] The National Heritage List for England. “Wrotham Park and Stable Block.” Accessed April 25, 2013. 
               http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1174715.
[2] London Open House. “Wrotham Park and its History.” Accessed April 25, 2013. http://www.londonopenhouse.org/
               london/search/factsheet.asp?ftloh_id=8518.
[3] Miers, Mary. The English Country House: from the Archives of Country Life. New York: Rizzoli International 
               Publications, 2009.
[4] Tinniswood, Adrian. The Polite Tourist: Four Centuries of Country House Visiting. London: National Trust, 1998.
[5] Musson, Jeremy. How to Read a Country House. London: Ebury Press, 2005.
[6] Hearn, Karen. In Celebration: the Art of the Country House. London: Tate Gallery, 1998.

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